On The Blog

The 2013 Roster of DC Area SuperLawyers includes KPW Attorneys Michael Kator and Cathy Harris. KPW Attorney Jeremy Wright was also named as a DC Area SuperLawyer Rising Star. KPW congratulates its Members on their recognition as 2013 DC SuperLawyers.

Kator, Parks & Weiser, PLLC is proud to be part of the legal effort to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  KPW attorneys Cathy Harris and Andrea Goplerud have assisted GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) for several years in the federal-sector employment law aspects at the MSPB and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit associated with GLAD’s landmark case, Gill v. OPM.  Gill is being held pending the Supreme Court’s ruling in Windsor. For more information about the case, and DOMA, please visit http://www.glad.org/doma.

KPW Co-Manager Jessica Parks was contacted by The Washington Post to provide expert perspective on possible federal employee furloughs.  In an article published February 27, 2013, The Washington Post quoted Ms. Parks regarding possible legal issues that could arise if federal employees are furloughed due to sequestration.  In the article, “Sequester a nightmare for appeals agency,” The Washington Post wrote, “In terms of precedent, furlough cases are ‘largely unexplored territory,’ said Jessica Parks, a former MSPB vice chairman who is now with Kator, Parks & Weiser. She said that many earlier cases involved special rules applying to one small group of employees, administrative law judges.”

Ms. Parks discussed possible legal challenges that may be available to federal employees subject to a furlough order: “‘It comes down to: Are there going to be fairness issues? And that depends on how each agency handles it,’ Parks said. …. ‘While that may sound simple, we see in our practice that agencies often don’t follow procedures correctly,’ Parks said. ‘Sometimes they make mistakes. If that happened in a particular case, it could result in the reversal of an action and then back pay and other relief.'”

If you have questions about your possible legal rights related to a furlough order, contact KPW now (at 202-898-4800) to discuss your legal options.